Electrolytic apparatus



. 2 SheetsSheet 1.

(No Model.)

W.. A. ROSENBAUM. I ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS.

No. 546,348. Patented Sept. 1'], 1895..

WlTNESSES LN DREW BLRAIMM, PMOl'O-UMO. WASH (Ne Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet2. W. A. ROSENBAUM. ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS.

INVENTIOR I Patented Sept. 17, 1-895.

a3 WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT @EmcEt \VlL-LIAM A. ROSENBAUM, OE MONTCLAIR, NEWJERSEY, ASSIGNOR. TO THE MATHIESON ALKALIWVORKS, OF VIRGINIA.

ELECTROLYTIC APPARATU S.

EPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 546,348, datedSeptember 1'7, 1895. Application filed December 20, 1894. Serial No.532,440. (No modeli) To ctZZ whom it may concern: constructed open, butis closed by dipping Be it known that IJVILLIAMAROSENBAUM, into a tray,in the bottom of which is a layer a citizen ofthe United States,residing at Montof mercury, and inasmuch as the lower edges clair, inthe countyof Essex and State of New of the partitions and sides of thehood con- 5 Jersey, have invented certain new and useful tinuouslyproject into and are covered by the Improvements in ElectrolyticApparatus, of mercury the compartments thereof will be which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact efi'ectually sealed from oneanother and the description. solutions contained Within the comparmentsThis invention pertains to the electrolytic and resting upon the surfaceof the mercury [o decomposition of alkaline salts, the object will beprevented from mixing.

beingthe economical electricaldecomposition The invention alsocomprehends suitable of alkaline salts in solution, and isparticumechanism for moving the tray containing larly applicable to theproduction of pure almercury in the direction of the range of comkalinehydrates and chlorine and hypochlo' partments of the cell, therebytransferring a 15 rites from alkaline chlorides. given portion of themercury from contact By myinvention I am able to produce in a with thesolution in one compartment of the continuous operation from chloride ofsodium cell to contact with the solution in the next pure caustic sodaand chlorine or hypochlosucceeding compartment, and so on, alterrites.nately exposing the given portion of mercury 20 In my apparatus Idispense entirely with to action in the two kinds of compartments theuse of porous partitions or diaphragms to of the cell. Suitable meansare provided for separate the electrodes and consequent promounting theelectrodes and establishing the ducts of electrolysis. electricalconnections for the circuits em- Briefly stated, myinveution consists inthe ployed, and suitable ducts or pipes are pro- 25 employment of a bodyof mercury, which is vided for supplying a saturated solution ofsubjected alternately to contact with the alchloride to, and removingthe spent portions kaline chloride undergoing electrolytic dethereoffrom, the chloride compartments, composition, to receive a deposit ofmetal, and While other suitable passages are provided for to contactwith an electrolyte capable of oxisupplying liquid to and removing itfrom the 5o dizing the alkaline metal which has been dehydratecompartments.

posited in the mercury and dissolving the It will be observed,therefore, that the inoxide so produced. While receiving its deventionprovides for the continuous separaposit of metal the body of mercuryacts as the tion and production of the materials conicathode of anelectric circuit, and for extractbined in an alkaline salt. In thepassage of 5 ing the metal from the mercury by oxidation the mercuryfrom one compartment to anoxygen is produced by passing a current ofother it alternately receives and gives off the electricity through theelectrolyte between an metallic element of the chloride, and as my anodeand a cathode immersed therein and invention comprehends a circular formfor separate and distinct from the body of merthe chamber or cell themercury in one paso cury or amalgam. The anode is located as sage aroundthe circle may receive and give close to the surface of the amalgam aspcssioff a number of charges of metal, and for that ble,in order thatthe oxygen which is liberated reason the time which the mercury remainsat the anode may be brought into as intimate in any one compartment maybe compararelation with the surface of the amalgam as tively short, sothat the amalgam produced in 5 45 possible, thereby to readily combinewith the the chloride compartment will not be so rich metal which hasbeen deposited in the meras to lessen the efficiency in the use ofourcury. rent and cause the formation of by-products, The inventioncomprehends a stationary which would be destructive to the electrodes.elongated structure in the form of ahood di- The tray carrying themercury is in fact I00 50 vided into a series of compartments byvertigiven a continuous slow motion, although, it cal partitions. Thebottom of this hood is desired, the tray may move intermittently adistance each time equal to the length of a compartment, the intervalbetween the movements giving time for the deposit to be made into andextracted from the several portions or sections of the body of mercury.

In the accompanying drawingsI have illustrated one form of apparatus inwhich my invention may be embodied.

Figure 1 is a plan of the complete appararatus. Fig. 2 is a verticalsection of the apparatus taken on line 0c 00 of Fig. 1 and passingthrough only one side of the circular apparatus. Fig. 3 is a similarsection taken on line y y of Fig. 1, the gearing being omitted, and Fig.t is a section taken on the curved line 2 z of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings by letter, A represents a circular tray havingouter and inner vertical sides a and a, respectively, and a bottom aThis is supported and carried upon the extremities of rotating arms orspokes a attached to a hub a mounted loosely upon a vertical axle orstud a To the hub is attached a large worm-gear a, which is engaged anddriven by a worm on shaft (1 the power being applied in any de siredmanner and taken from any suitable source. Obviously, when shaft a isrotated the tray A rotates around the center stud a The tray iselectrically'insulated from the arms a by non-conducting material 0.

B represents a stationary circular hood, having outer and inner verticalwalls b b, respectively, and a curved top 22 The bottom is open and thelower part projects downward into the tray A, but is supported at suchan elevation as to leave a short space between the bottom of the trayand the lower edge of the vertical sides I) b. This hood is supported byframework of any suitable character. I have shown braces or brackets bwhich, it will be understood, are attached to any fixed structure. Thewidth of the tray is such that there will be an annular space outsideand inside between the vertical walls of the tray and hood, as shown.The hood is divided circumferentially into a series of compartments byvertical transverse partitions IT. The partitions are preferably solocated that every alternate chamber or compartment will be somewhatlarger circumferentially than the intervening compartments, for apurpose which will hereinafter appear, although under some conditionsthe compartments may all be of the same size. The partitions extenddownward nearly, if not quite, to the lower edges of the sides I) b. Inthe smaller compartments, which I call the chloride compartments, willbe mounted a horizontal row of carbon pencils b attached in any suitablemanner to the side of the compartment, and forming a single electrode(the anode) of an electrical circuit, hereinafter referred to. In thelarger or hydrate compartments will be mounted two electrodes, an anodeand a cathode, the former I), being preferably a row of carbon pencilssimilar to the pencils 19 These will be located below the cathode 12 andthe latter may be of any material suitable for the purpose. The anodesand cathodes of the larger compartments are electrodes of an entirelyseparate circuit from that which includes the electrodes in the smallercompartments.

1) represents outlets from the chloride compartments for gaseousproducts.

I) and b respectively represent the inlets and outlets for liquids toand from the anode compartments.

19 represents inlet-pipes for liquids extending downward to the lowerportion of each of the larger compartments, and Z2 represents outletsfor liquid from the same compartments.

0 is a stationary circular frame surrounding the tray A at its loweredge. It supports an electrical conductor 0 in the form of a bandattached to its inner face. At points opposite the chloride-compartmentsof the stationary hood the conductor a has attached to it a number ofmetallic contact brushes 0, which press against the bottom of the trayand drag along upon its surface when the tray rotates. To this conductor0 is attached a wire 0 leading from the negative pole of asource ofelectricity G. The positive pole is connected by wire 0 with the anodesb in the chloride-compartments of the stationary hood. Anode b isconnected by wire 0 with the positive pole of a separate source ofelectricity G, while the negative pole of this source of current isconnected by wire 0 with the electrode b When the apparatus is equippedfor work the tray contains a shallow layer of mercury e of the samedepth throughout the circle. This depth of mercury will be sufficient toimmerse or cover the lower edges of the side walls I) b, and thepartitions b of the stationary hood. The small or chloride compartmentswill contain a body of material-such, for instance, as sodium chloride.The larger or hydrate compartments will contain a body of water or weakcaustic solution. The partition being absolutely non-porous it will beobserved that the mercury effectually seals the two solutions in theadjoining compartments from each other. In order to maintain the mercuryat the same level both inside of the stationary hood and outside of itin the tray I place in the annular spaces between the hood and the traya quantity of heavy oil or other material f, the weight of which willbalance that of the liquids inside of the cell, and which may be keptcool if desired in any suitable way, such as circulating it through arefrigerating apparatus.

The operation is as follows: Power is applied to shaft 0. at a speed toimpart a slow rotary motion to the tray. The circuits of both sources ofcurrent Gr G are completed, and the separation of the elements of thechloride solution immediately commences. In the smaller compartments thecurrent passes from the anode b to the body of mercury e immediatelybeneath it, (which acts as a cathode,) thence through the bottom of thetray to the brushes c. Electrolysis of the saline solution takes place,chlorine gas is liberated in the compartment above the surface of theliquid, whence it is drawn off through passages 12 The sodium isdeposited in the mercury, forming an amalgam, and as the tray rotatesthis amalgam is carried into the hydrate-compartments,where it comes incontact with the electrolyte therein. The action of the current in thesecompartments in passing from the anode below to the cathode abovedecomposes the electrolyte and liberates the oxygen at and around theanode. The anode being located as near to the surface of the amalgam aspossible, the oxygen formed at that locality will immediately oxidize orcombine with the sodium of the amalgam. The sodium oxide will thenimmediately dissolve in the water and form sodium hydrate or causticsoda. The mercury thus freed of its burden of sodium is then carried tothe next compartments, (the chloride,) where it will receive anotherdeposit of sodium, and thence to the hydrate-compartments, where thedeposit will be given up, and so on continuously around the circle. Theprocess will not be step by step, as perhaps indicated by the abovedescription, but will be continuous. The speed of the tray will be suchas to allow of a depositof about twotenths of one per cent. of sodium,and in the event that this quantity of sodium cannot be oxidized I havemade the hydrate-compartments longer to expose the amalgam therein for alonger period than it is retained in the chloride-compartments. Thehydrate-compartments are supplied with water through the pipes b, which,on entering the chamber at the bottom, forces the caustic solution tothe top, whence it is drawn oft'through the pipes b. A saturatedsolution of chloride of sodium is supplied to the chloride-compartmentsthrough the inlet-pipes b and, being heavier than the spent liquidscontaining the hypochlorites, it immediately goes to the lower portionsof the chamber and forces the spent liquid to the top, whence it flowsout through pipes 12. The lower edges of the partitions b projectinginto the mercury will tend to retard the mercury and prevent its movingat the same speed with the tray, but such retardation will take placeequally around the circle and will not materially affectthe process, butat any rate the partitions will cause a slight wave of mercury to form,which will tend to mix the sodium more intimately with the mercury, anditwill, therefore, be carried more readily into the hydrate-compartmenhIf desired, I may place small ridges, as indicated at '6 in Fig. 4.,transversely along the bottom of the tray. These will counteract anyretarding movement which the edges of the partitions may create. Anotherway of overcoming any difiiculty on this point is to run the tray in onedirection for a short length of time and then reverse it.

In case the tray is given a step-by-step movement, each movement beingequal to the length of one compartment (the compartments then being allof the same length) there will be no appreciable retardation of themercury with respect to the tray, for at the end of each short movementthe tray will come to a rest and allow the mercury to settle.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In apparatus for theelectrolytic production of hydrates of alkaline metals, the combinationof a tank or cell provided with a compartment containing a layer ofmercury which is adapted to receive a charge or deposit of the alkalinemetal, an electrolyte in said compartment capable of oxidizing thealkaline metal and dissolving the oxide so produced, and an anode andcathode immersed in said electrolyte and separate and distinct from themercury, substantially as described.

2. In apparatus for the electrolytic production of hydrates of alkalinemetals, the co mbination of a tank or cell provided with a compartmentcontaining a layer of mercury which is adapted to receive a charge ordepositof the alkaline metal, an electrolyte in said compartment capableof oxidizing the alkaline metal, and dissolving the oxide so produced,and an anode and cathode immersed in said electrolyte and separate anddistinct from the mercury, the anode being located nearest to thesurface of the mercury, substantially as described.

3. In electrolytic apparatus, astructu re provided with compartments, incombination with a body of mercury, a receptacle therefor, the mercuryand receptacle being stationary with respect to each other, and meansfor moving the receptacle to convey the mercury from one compartment toanother of the structure, for the purpose set forth.

l. In electrolytic apparatus, a hood provided with a number ofcompartments, a tray movable with respect to the hood and closing thelower side thereof and containing a layer of mercury, said compartmentsbeing separated by partitions extending into the mercury, and means fortransferring the mercury from one compartment to another.

5. In electrolytic apparatus, a hood provided with a number ofcompartments, a tray movable with respect to the hood and closing thelower side thereof and containing a layer of mercury, said compartmentseach containing an electrolyte and being separated by partitionsextending into the mercury, and means for transferring the mercury fromone compartment to another.

6. In electrolytic apparatus, a structure provided with two compartmentsseparated bya partition under which there is a communicating passage, alayer of mercury extending from one compartment to the other beneath andimmersing the lower edge of the partition, an electrolyte in eachcompartment resting upon the mercury, an anode in the electrolyte of onecompartment to which the mercury acts as the cathode, an anode and acathode in the electrolyte of the other compartment, both separate anddistinct from the mercury contained therein, and two separate sources ofelectricity of which the electrodes in each compartment are respectivelythe circuit terminals.

'7. In apparatus for the electrolytic decomposition of the salts ofalkaline metals, a vessel containing a circular or endless body ofmercury, means for imparting thereto movement in a line substantiallyparallel to its circumference, in combination with a series of WILLIAMA. ROSENBAUM.

'Witnesses:

FRANK S. OBER, O. V. EDW'ARDS.

